Taft is special. I know that I have said it many times, but I am noticing things about him on a daily basis that are a little out of whack. History: When Taft started Preschool in March 2009, we noticed that he had a big issue with loud noises. Not all of them, but specific ones. He would hear any type of lawn equipment and go into a panic. It got to the point that he got sent home from school due to him screaming and crying and nobody could calm him down. He was holding his ears so I took him straight to the doctor to make sure that there was no ear infection. The doctor could find nothing wrong with him. I started doing research and talked more to his teacher and decided that he had a Sensory Perception Disorder (SPD). SPD is most common in children with autism. He is a very social and talkative child. Some children outgrown the problems as they get older. After talking to the pediatrician, he assured me that he shows no other signs of autism and most likely would grow out of it. It it became a big problem we could put him in Occupational Therapy.
His Preschool teacher was great. She would take him in on days that the lawn care company came (since they always came while his class was on the playground). She also found that giving him a spray bottle of water would help distract him. Over time, he stopped being upset by the noises and is now just more perceptive than some kids. His new teacher said that every noise he hears he either asks what it is or tells her what it is. He also asks me the same question a lot. "What's that noise?" and "You hear that?".
At this moment - I am learning that he likes routine. Any routine. Things need to be the way he likes them or he panics. We have a lot of recessed lights in the house. If one is out, he points, tells you, gets upset, and wants it fixed right then.
He likes to get up and ready to go to school in a specific order. He wakes up, turns on Handy Manny (our latest cartoon obsession), drinks a "milkshake" aka Pedisure, and then comes to the bathroom. He must go potty, get bathed, get dressed in order (underwear, shirt, shorts, socks, shoes), then fix his hair, then brush his teeth. If you get out of order, it all goes downhill.
He doesn't do change well. If fact - he is moving up to Preschool I, which is the three year old and potty trained class. His first day was Monday. I took him in to his old class because he was going to be in the old class half a day and then the new class until the kids got used to it. When I picked him up, I was told he went to Miss Dana's class and stayed all day. He was happy when I picked him up.
Tuesday morning, he cried when I dropped him off at school. He wanted me to take him home. When I went to pick him up, he was in his new class and he had a potty accident. On Wednesday, he cried again, and again had a potty accident. His new teacher told me that he didn't seem happy. He was not engaging in class with the kids and really missed his old teacher. I talked to the school and told them to please move him back to his old class. He has anxiety and it is upsetting him. We both agreed that he needed to spend time in both classes and see how he does.
Yesterday was his first day back with Miss Alice. Miss Alice had the two classes together in the early morning. When Miss Dana came in to get her kids, Taft got up to go with them and said he wanted to go. He went and stayed the day until his teacher went home and then he went back to Miss Alice. No accidents. He was much happier. Today he was thrilled to go school.
I plan on talking to his doctor again at his new appointment. I see things in him that I think maybe some high functioning autism. I just want to make sure and find out as early as we can to get him all the help that is possible.
Please feel free to comment if you have children with this type issues or autism or anything else that you think might help.
His Preschool teacher was great. She would take him in on days that the lawn care company came (since they always came while his class was on the playground). She also found that giving him a spray bottle of water would help distract him. Over time, he stopped being upset by the noises and is now just more perceptive than some kids. His new teacher said that every noise he hears he either asks what it is or tells her what it is. He also asks me the same question a lot. "What's that noise?" and "You hear that?".
At this moment - I am learning that he likes routine. Any routine. Things need to be the way he likes them or he panics. We have a lot of recessed lights in the house. If one is out, he points, tells you, gets upset, and wants it fixed right then.
He likes to get up and ready to go to school in a specific order. He wakes up, turns on Handy Manny (our latest cartoon obsession), drinks a "milkshake" aka Pedisure, and then comes to the bathroom. He must go potty, get bathed, get dressed in order (underwear, shirt, shorts, socks, shoes), then fix his hair, then brush his teeth. If you get out of order, it all goes downhill.
He doesn't do change well. If fact - he is moving up to Preschool I, which is the three year old and potty trained class. His first day was Monday. I took him in to his old class because he was going to be in the old class half a day and then the new class until the kids got used to it. When I picked him up, I was told he went to Miss Dana's class and stayed all day. He was happy when I picked him up.
Tuesday morning, he cried when I dropped him off at school. He wanted me to take him home. When I went to pick him up, he was in his new class and he had a potty accident. On Wednesday, he cried again, and again had a potty accident. His new teacher told me that he didn't seem happy. He was not engaging in class with the kids and really missed his old teacher. I talked to the school and told them to please move him back to his old class. He has anxiety and it is upsetting him. We both agreed that he needed to spend time in both classes and see how he does.
Yesterday was his first day back with Miss Alice. Miss Alice had the two classes together in the early morning. When Miss Dana came in to get her kids, Taft got up to go with them and said he wanted to go. He went and stayed the day until his teacher went home and then he went back to Miss Alice. No accidents. He was much happier. Today he was thrilled to go school.
I plan on talking to his doctor again at his new appointment. I see things in him that I think maybe some high functioning autism. I just want to make sure and find out as early as we can to get him all the help that is possible.
Please feel free to comment if you have children with this type issues or autism or anything else that you think might help.
My son has asperger's and while I'm not qualified to make a diagnosis, my suggestion would be to have a psychological assessment done. Jack was diagnosed at three and it made a HUGE difference to figure out exactly what the issue was b/c then we could make a plan to get him ready for school. He's four now and we are getting a developmental assessment done in a week. ABA therapy has been WONDERFUL for him!! I just think it's better to have the assessment and know. Your guy sounds so interesting and fun!!
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